Girls Program Gearing Up For First Tier II National Championship
Girls hockey programs across the country are preparing to take part in the inaugural Tier II National Championships, to be held April 7-11, 2010, in Lansing, Mich. Due to the increase in girls teams and level of skill over the last 10 years, it is the hope of tournament organizers and supporters to showcase a larger number of female athletes who have found a passion and desire to play the sport.

Potential Changes In National Tournament Offerings To Be Considered
The USAH Girls/Women’s Section has proposed that the USAH Youth Council and Board of Directors to consider the elimination of the 12 & Under National Championship. This change comes in support of the inherent philosophies of the newly introduced “American Development Model,” which stresses the concepts of improving skill while increasing and maintaining participation in the sport. Rather than focusing on trying to win a national title at this age classification, hopes are that more attention will be paid to making changes in how the sport is implemented at the developmental levels.

Senior Women's Tournament Listings
Hosting a sanctioned USA Hockey women’s tournament and want to spread the word? Send the information to Yevet Anderson and she will get the word spread. Don't forget that this year a Recreational USA Hockey 40 & Over and 50 & Over Nationals will be held in Florida in April. Go to usahockey.com and check out these adult Recreational National opportunities.

Player Development Camps Announced
USA Hockey will host more than 380 female hockey players at four player development camps over a six-week period beginning June 25, 2010. The events will be split between The Sports Centre in Rochester, N.Y., and the National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, Minn.

The weeklong sessions provide many of the United States' finest young hockey players with concentrated on- and off-ice training and instruction, as well as the chance to compete against other top players from their age group.

The Girls' Select 14, 15 and 16 Player Development Camps will each showcase six teams of 17 players, while the Girls' Select 17 Player Development Camp will have four teams of 19 players.

Click here to see a list of dates for each of these camps.

TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT GIRLS' & WOMEN'S HOCKEY IN YOUR AREA, CLICK HERE
TO FIND A CONTACT!

ATLANTIC DISTRICT

2010 President's Day Classic – February 12-15
We still have openings in our 2010 President's Day Classic for Tier II 14 & Under and 16 & Under teams. The event is hosted by the Lady Patriots at The Rink at Warwick (Pa.).

7th Annual Pony Tail Tournament – March 12-14
Our annual March Pony Tail Tournament is a great way for Tier II teams to end their seasons, with good competition and good fun. The tournament grows in popularity each year. We had 60 10 & Under through 19 & Under teams last year. Three games are guaranteed, while many play four or even five. No game curfews. For more information, go to ponytailtournament.org or contact our tournament director, Lillian Donnard, to reserve a spot for your team.

New Jersey Rockets Tier II 14 & Under Girls Win At Polar Bear Tournament
In only their second season together, the New Jersey Rockets Tier II 14 & Under girls were champions at this year’s Polar Bear Tournament, held Dec. 27-30, 2009, in Connecticut. Under the guidance of Head Coach Tim Fox, the team made its way to the playoffs, defeating the Rhode Island Xpress, 4 -1. The girls came away with the championship in a hard-fought 7-4 victory over the Troy Albany Ice Cats.

New Jersey Colonials Tier I 14 & Under Skate At Quinnipiac Prior To Team USA vs. ECAC Hockey All-Stars Game
The New Jersey Colonials 14 & Under girls were honored to participate in the Qwest Tour event hosted by Quinnipiac University and USA Hockey on Sunday, Jan. 3, 2010. The Colonials girls skated in an exhibition game with the CT Polar Bears prior to the game between the U.S. Women’s National Team and the ECAC Hockey All-Stars. Girls hockey was showcased throughout the event and was highlighted when all of the participants stood with Team USA and the ECAC Hockey All-Stars for player introductions and the national anthem. The day was certain to be a lifetime memory for all of the participants. A special thanks goes out to Quinnipiac University’s staff and Lori Landino for an outstanding celebration of girls and women's hockey.

In Memoriam
The Atlantic District and the Mid-Atlantic Women’s Hockey Association (MAWHA) mourn the loss of our beloved Commissioner, Paul Puchalik who passed away on November 19, 2009. Paul’s dedication and commitment to the growth and development of youth hockey in the Atlantic District was unsurpassed. His devotion to the girls’ game and his kind influence on the thousands of female players who passed through Loukes Arena at the Lawrenceville School during years of the AAHA Select Development Camp will remain a lasting memory every time we enter the rink.

AAHA Select Development Camp Tryout Dates – April 30-May 2, 2010
For complete details go to atlantic-district.org and click on Women’s/Girls link on the left tab. Check out the ADM tab on mawha.com for all the latest news on USA Hockey’s ADM initiative and its implementation for girls’ hockey. Nick Slagis, MAWHA‘s ADM Liaison, can answer your questions.

CENTRAL DISTRICT

Illinois State Playoffs To Start Soon
AHAI Girls are gearing up for state playoffs, which will take place Feb. 17-21 at the Crystal Ice House, hosted by the Yellow Jackets. All championship games will be played on Feb. 26-27 in Bensenville, and will determine contenders for the Central District tournament, which paves the way to Nationals.

AHAI National Camp Tryouts and Development Camp Dates
AHAI’s tryouts to attend the Central District tryouts for the USA Hockey National Development Camp will take place March 6-7, with the location to be announced. Players chosen at this tryout will attend the Central District tryouts April 25-26 in Delafield, Wis. In addition, AHAI’s Elite Girls’ Development Camp will take place at Lake Forest Academy from June 10-13. This camp will welcome 68 of the top female players ages 14-17 in Illinois, and serves as a tryout for the Central District Camp.

AHAI Tiering Guidelines Being Developed
AHAI is currently working on tiering guidelines that will run concurrent with the ADM and district tiering policies to better serve all facets of girls hockey in Illinois. These guidelines are expected to be put in place for the 2010-11 season, and will be announced shortly.

Central Players Named To 2010 U.S. Women's Olympic Ice Hockey Team
Everyone in the Central District wants to congratulate the four players from the district that will be representing the United States at the Olympic Winter Games, so congratulations and good luck to Jessie Vetter, Lisa Chesson, Molly Engstrom and Jinelle Zaugg-Siergiej.

Wisconsin Offering Mini Player Development Camp
Wisconsin is continuing to offer a mini Player Development Camp for all 1993- and 1994-born players and a six-day camp for all 1995- and 1996-born players in June. The dates of the camp and tryout information can be found at wahahockey.com. This is an excellent opportunity for all USA Hockey registered players to work with Division I and Division III college coaches and players. More information about these programs will be emailed to all registered players.

Team Wisconsin To Make Return
WAHA is also pleased to announce that Team Wisconsin for all high school-aged girls will be back for the 2010-11 season. More information about this program is available at wahahockey.com.

Central District To Be Well Represented At Tier II Nationals
Girls hockey continues to grow in the Central District. Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is offering a Tier II Nationals-bound team this season along with Missouri, Illinois and Wisconsin. We are pleased to see that the Central District will be represented at all levels in Lansing, Mich., at the first Tier II USA Hockey National Tournament. Good Luck to all Tier I and Tier II players.

Dates To Remember
March 13-14: Women’s C Division Playoffs in Ill.
March 19-21: Girls Nationals-Bound Teams Playoffs in Fond du Lac, Wis.
April 24-25: Tryouts for USA Hockey National Camps (By invitation only. Please check with your local affiliate for additional information or contact Mary Ann Robinson).
Aug. 1-6: Central District Development Camp in Green Bay, Wis.

MICHIGAN DISTRICT

Michigan State Tournaments
The Tier I and Tier II State Tournaments are only weeks way. The Tier I State Tournament will be held Feb. 23-28, 2010, and the Tier II State Tournament will be held March 4-7, 2010.

USA Hockey Select Tryouts
The Michigan District’s select camp tryouts are being held April 16-18, 2010, in Grand Rapids, Mich. Registration information can be found on the Girls/Women’s page at maha.org. Michigan will once again work with the Mid-Am District to invite females to the summer development camps that are being held at Kent State this summer.

MID-AMERICAN DISTRICT

TIMBIT Hockey Provides Opportunities To Grow The Game With Parent And Player In Mind
In today’s economy, cost is a major factor in whether "the girls" have an opportunity to play hockey especially when their brothers are already playing travel. How do you give girls and starting boys a chance to play the game at a cost and time schedule that meets the needs of today’s families who may be working two or more jobs to try and make ends meet? Timbit Minor Hockey in Western PA may have found a way to open the game to all.

Four years ago the program started with four girls and 10 boys. The brothers brought their sister to tag along and, in one case, older sis brought little brother. Four years later the program has 167 participants and over 25 percent are female. The growth has to do with several factors. The program is every Saturday morning with four age groups using the ice from 8:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. There are no holiday sessions, as the philosophy of the program is that "holidays are for families.” One Goal Equipment, along with 55 larger sets of equipment in easy-to-carry bags, is used to make the whole experience parent and player friendly. All sessions are cross-ice and skill station based. The first day on the ice follows the Put The Biscuit in the Net Program "Hug and Sit.” This jump starts all first-time players so that the need to hold onto the boards is nonexistent. By the end of the first session, all Timbits are getting up and down on their own. The program costs are $80-$125 depending on age, which is reasonable for most families.

What really gave the program a boost and credibility in a hockey society that believes in full-ice practices and games was seeing Timbits on the USA Hockey website under ADM. The program typifies the ADM and allows new parents to learn the ADM modules.

This year the program maxed out on available ice and had to turn away 43 potential players. Next season additional hours of ice have been contracted to allow more participants. There will also be a Wednesday evening and Saturday early afternoon house league for players ages 8-10 with full-ice games and cross-ice practices and skill sessions. The program has been a plus for the local girls program. This year a 10 & Under and 12 & Under team formed out of the female Timbit program. Perhaps in a year or two, there will be girls-only house league right in their own back yards.

Mid-Am National And In-District Camp Tryouts Set
The Mid-Am District will hold its annual National and In-District Camp Tryouts at Kent State University from April 16-18. To register or get more information visit the Girls/Women’s Web site at midamhockey.com.

MINNESOTA DISTRICT

	Roseau's own Gigi Marvin waves to the crowd while Natalie Darwitz of Eagan claps in the background.

U.S. Olympic Women's Ice Hockey Team Announced In Minnesota
It was exciting for Minnesota to host the announcement of the U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey Team on Dec. 17, 2009, at the Mall of America Best Buy Rotunda in Bloomington, Minnesota. Several Minnesota players were named to the team including Gigi Marvin from Roseau, Natalie Darwitz from Eagan, and Jenny Potter of Edina. Team USA signed autographs after the announcement. The team later played Canada on December 30, 2009, before a crowd of 6,800 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota.

State Tournament Preparations
Underway Hockey in Minnesota is in full stride with the Minnesota Hockey Youth and Girls’ Hockey Tournaments scheduled for March 19-21, 2010. The Minnesota State High School League Girls’ State Hockey Tournament will take place February 24-27, 2010, at Xcel Energy Center and Ridder Arena.

Women's College Championships Coming To Minnesota
The University of Minnesota Ridder Arena will host the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Championships on March 6 and 7, 2010. It will also play host to the Women’s NCAA Championships March 19-21, 2010. The Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award brunch will take place on March 20, 2010, at the University of Minnesota McNamara Alumni Center.

NEW ENGLAND DISTRICT

New England District Announces Player Development Dates
The district will host the 2010 NE Yankee Conference All-Star Festival on March 26-28. The Festival is part of the evaluation process for the summer 2010 USA Hockey National Development Camps. Preliminary affiliate tryouts to qualify for the Festival are nearing completion. The New England District Player Development Camps will be July 10-18, 2010, at St. Anselm’s College in Manchester, N.H. The district camp will be for players birth years 1993-97.

New England District Teams Excited About Tier II Nationals
The New England District will be sending seven teams to the USA Hockey Tier II National Tournaments. New England will be sending two 12 & Under, two 14 & Under, two 16 & Under and one 19 & Under team. The district has been hosting Tier II District Championships for six years now. Our teams are very excited about the opportunity to participate in the National Tournament’s first year.

New England Proud Host To Qwest Tour Game
New England hosted the U.S. Women’s National Team for a game against the ECAC Hockey All-Stars on Jan. 3 as part of the Qwest Tour. It was an exciting game showcasing top talent in front of a sellout crowd at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Conn. Information on Girls’/Women’s Hockey in the New England District can be found on our website, newhockey.org.

NEW YORK DISTRICT

New York Announces Annual District Evaluation Weekend Information
The New York State Amateur Hockey Association, Inc., sponsors several events for female hockey players, which include the annual District Evaluation Weekend and zone development camps in all four parts of the state. The District Evaluation Weekend provides an opportunity for all female players in New York to be evaluated by a qualified staff of college and youth coaches to determine skill level appropriate for a USA Hockey National Camp or potential In-District Player Development Camps. This year’s Weekend event will be held in Cicero, N.Y., from March 26-28, 2010. The Weekend is open to all registered USAH female players with birth years 1993-96. Only these birth years are eligible to participate!

NORTHERN PLAINS DISTRICT

Northern Plains Announces First Girls Tier II District Tournament
Three 19 & Under teams from Montana, South Dakota and Wyoming will be competing on Feb. 26-28 28. The winner of the 19 & Under Northern Plains district tournament will attend the inaugural Tier II Girls National Championships, to be held April 7-11, 2010, in Lansing, Mich.

Northern Plains Holds Third Annual District Development/Evaluation Camp
The District Evaluation Weekend will be held in Minot, N.D., on May 6-9, 2010. Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming are making their state selections prior to this camp in order to determine who will be invited to the District Camp.

PACIFIC DISTRICT

Western Regional Player Development Camp To Be Held In Las Vegas
The Pacific, Rocky Mountain, and Northern Plains Districts would like to invite all interested girls to participate in our second Western Regional Player Development Camp held in Las Vegas, Nevada, July 18-22, 2010. Last year, the camp was a huge success and very affordable. We look forward to another fun-filled camp! If you are interested in participating this year, please visit the Nevada Girls Hockey website for camp information and registration.

Nevada Heat Girls Hockey Holds Girl Scouts Put The Biscuit In The Net Event
December has been packed with milestones for Nevada Heat Girls Hockey. The first weekend of On Dec. 4-6 the NV Heat invited Olympic bronze medalist Pam Dreyer to Las Vegas to host the first “Put the Biscuit in the Net” event with the Girl Scouts Frontier Council. PBN provides a fabulous opportunity to expose girls to the fast-paced, amazing sport of ice hockey. The NV Heat and Girl Scouts Frontier Council worked to bring local scouts from nine- to 15-years-old together with current NV Heat players to see what girls’ hockey is all about.

Over the three-day event, the girl scouts were outfitted in full hockey gear and taught to skate, handle the puck and even score! All in all, the girls learned something new and, most importantly, had fun! The first day was nothing short of inspiring. By the end of the first day, all of the girls were cruising up and down the rink and feeling pretty good about their achievement.

After a good night’s rest, the excitement really took over when Pam brought out the sticks and pucks for day two. Learning to hold the stick and move the puck added a new element to the skating the girls had just learned, and every one of the girls was up to the challenge.

Now the girls were ready to play some hockey. When the third and final day arrived the girls were ready to show off the skills they learned with a cross-ice hockey game. What a blast!

To USA Hockey, Girl Scouts Frontier Council, Pam Dreyer, the fabulous young women of the Nevada Heat and all the coaches who gave their precious time, we thank you for all you do to make girls ice hockey happen in the desert.

Pacific District And USA Hockey Adult Council To Host First Adult Women's Wine Tasting Tournament
A Women's Wine Tasting Tournament designed for adult female athletes will be held in Vacaville, Calif., from Aug. 13-15, 2010. Online registration and more information for this event may be found here.

SOUTHEASTERN DISTRICT

Upcoming Events
April 17-18: Southeastern District Player Development Tryouts – Rockville Ice Arena – Rockville, Md. – Birth years 1993-96 – Register at sedistrict.org
April 29-May 2: USAH Womens 40 & Over and 50 & Over Recreational National Championship – Ellenton Ice and Sports, Ellenton, Fla.

Berman Preps For Outdoor Hockey Game
Lindsay Berman's apartment has a direct view of Fenway Park in Boston. But last month she had an even better view of the historic park – from ice level. Berman, an Odenton, Md., native, laced up the skates for Northeastern University as her team took on the University of New Hampshire Jan. 8 in the first-ever outdoor collegiate women's hockey game.

Playing a game at Fenway is something Berman never dreamed she'd be doing while growing up in Maryland. She played in boys leagues until the age of 13, when she joined the Washington Pride women's team in Rockville. And when it was time for her to pick a college, that same ballpark she played hockey in played a role in her decision. During an official visit to the school she took in a Red Sox game. The rest is history.

"I fell in love with the city and the campus," she said. And now, she's done something that made her fellow Bostonians jealous. While the rest of the town dreamed of what it will be like playing an outdoor hockey game at Fenway, Berman was actually on the ice.

Oh yeah, she was nervous.

"The nerves make it exciting," she said prior to the game. "I'm kind of a kid who gets nervous for every game. Warm-ups will be interesting. But a few shifts in, I think the nerves will go away."

Berman didn’t really know what to expect when she took the ice. She knew she'd be dressed in some Under Armor-type material that she'd have to change between each period. And she wore a skullcap under her helmet. But the best she could hope for was to tune out the surroundings and focus on the game.

She had only played on an outdoor ice surface once before -- a friend's pond in Annapolis.

"You could hear it creaking," she said. "Dad said not to, but I had to do it." Berman survived to skate another day.

She and her fellow Huskies didn’t have to worry about falling through the sheet at Fenway. She let the Bruins and Flyers test the ice out first on New Year's Day. And then, it was her turn to make history as she neared the end of her collegiate career in the hockey hotbed of Massachusetts. Not bad for a kid from Maryland, eh?

"What a way to go out my senior year," she said.

Fay Recognized By Predators
Barbara Fay, from NYHL and the Southern Flyers Girls in Nashville, was recognized on Nov. 21 as the Nashville Predators Youth Hockey Volunteer of the month. Barb’s endless dedication to the girls in SAHA has resulted in a strong house and travel program for girls of all ages. Congratulations, Barb, from your girls in Nashville.

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